how do you get 100 on a test

I need some advice and i am desparate. Right now I am taking A&P1 and I study all day and go to school Tues. & Thurs. nights. When I take a test or a quiz I have a problem "de-coding" the questions. I know the info before the test/quiz, but I am having a problem getting anything above the 70-79 range. How do students get 100 on their tests. I use the text, flashcards, read my notes the same night after my class and even re-type my notes. I have no problem passing other classes that are non-science classes. I feel like maybe not everyone is cut out for this type of class. What do you think? How can I become a better test taker? Or am I doing something wrong? Thanks so much for those who respond.:spin:

Well, after the tests/quizzes, do you look at the questions that you missed and try to determine what tripped you up?

You say that you "know the info before the test/quiz." How do you verify this for yourself?

When you look at the questions that you missed, do you find that you did know the material but simply didn't understand the question? In that case, you should look closely at the question structure and be sure that you understand it for the future. You should also ask for clarification during the test.

Sep 27, '07

Occupation: retail
Joined: Mar '06; Posts: 221; Likes: 18

I gave up on A's the moment I saw my sylabus, I'm happy when I get B's.

I need some advice and i am desparate. Right now I am taking A&P1 and I study all day and go to school Tues. & Thurs. nights. When I take a test or a quiz I have a problem "de-coding" the questions. I know the info before the test/quiz, but I am having a problem getting anything above the 70-79 range. How do students get 100 on their tests. I use the text, flashcards, read my notes the same night after my class and even re-type my notes. I have no problem passing other classes that are non-science classes. I feel like maybe not everyone is cut out for this type of class. What do you think? How can I become a better test taker? Or am I doing something wrong? Thanks so much for those who respond.:spin:

I notice that when I read something and then go back and re-read it again... it's as if I never read it in the first place. I really have to read the material, take a second and think in my head what I'm learning, figure some way to remember that and then go on to the next part. I remember in Anatomy trying to learn all the different gastric acids and what not and I could just read right over everything and not absorb any of it. But once you really understand the material, then you should be able to apply that knowledge on your exams.

As far as the "memorizing" part of A & P goes, flash cards and diagrams worked best for me. (plus going into the lab and doing it all hands on). If you buy the Anatomy flashcards and make copies of them and blank out the answers (unless they are already blank with answers on the back)... you can really quiz yourself good that way too.

Good luck to you. Just try and concentrate and do the best you can do.

Making 100's on any test is hard to do. I managed to make a few of them so far in nursing school, but honestly--I got lucky. I studied hard, and understood the structure of the question, but sometimes despite studying hardcore, some instructors pull questions out of their @ss.

The easy answer of how to make 100's on test is to roll the dice and hope for a seven. (little casino reference there, hehe).

The times where I made mid to high 90's on nursing tests were when I understood the information backward and forward. For example: it's not enough to know where a certain bone is located, you have to know it's function and WHY it's located where it is. In nursing school, that is the kind of effort you're going to have to make in order to make decent grades. Just memorizing doesn't work. I can memorize really well, but if I don't know why I know the information, I'm doomed.

An example of how a nursing question might be presented is something akin to this:

Your patient has been diagnosed with X and his symptoms are X. Based on a lab value of X, what would you do first?

You see, it's not enough that you know what diagnosis X is, or what symptoms are present, or even the lab value. You have to know how to apply it to that patients particular situation, which change depending on diagnosis, symptoms, and lab values. They will offer you answers that might all sound good, but the key phrase is "What will you do FIRST", meaning you have to know that information inside and out!

Keep plugging away at it. All you can do is your best. Check out those links from Daytonite--she's a grand master at finding extremely useful information.

P.S. The above poster who mentioned going over your test and finding out why the answer you gave were wrong is great advice. It will also give you insight into how your instructor thinks and what they think is important for you to know. Please take advantage of that option.

Last edit by DaFreak71 on Sep 28, '07
: Reason: Added a P.S.

Sep 28, '07

Joined: Jul '03; Posts: 2,937; Likes: 2,388

When you reviewed the test later, could you see why certain answers were wrong and others right? Was it that you misunderstood the questions? It sounds like the former since you said you were having trouble "de-coding." Did you discuss the right and wrong answers with the instructor? With classmates? Do you understand your mistakes or are you still confused? Had you studied the material you missed? Was it that you didn't remember the names of certain things even though you'd studied it before? How do other students' scores compare to yours?

If you've tended to do well on tests in the past and this class if different, can you see where it's different? Maybe it's the amount of memorizing? The type of memorizing? Similar sounding names? The type of questions?

Sometimes, there'a class that for whatever reason (the subject, the instructor, etc) one can't seem to get 100s in. This may or may not be one for you. Learn the material and continue to strive for good marks in all of your coursework, and a couple of "just okay" grades shouldn't be a problem.

I need some advice and i am desparate. Right now I am taking A&P1 and I study all day and go to school Tues. & Thurs. nights. When I take a test or a quiz I have a problem "de-coding" the questions. I know the info before the test/quiz, but I am having a problem getting anything above the 70-79 range. How do students get 100 on their tests. I use the text, flashcards, read my notes the same night after my class and even re-type my notes. I have no problem passing other classes that are non-science classes. I feel like maybe not everyone is cut out for this type of class. What do you think? How can I become a better test taker? Or am I doing something wrong? Thanks so much for those who respond.:spin:

Do you study all day every day?? If so, that is TOO much. I know some people who study and study all the time and still do not do well on tests. That means that it isn't always the time you put in but how you study and what you study. It is important to know concepts, the big ones they talk about a lot in class. I wouldn't waste time re-typing your notes unless you really think it helps. I study class notes and then when I read the text I take my own notes and study them. i sometimes re-write the difficult concepts again and study those more in detail. I find that studying many different things doesn't work. Good luck and i hope you find a way that works for you.

The best thing for science classes is not trying to just memorize info. In most other classes you just memorize and regurgitate info and that usually works. In science/biology you may have to apply the info you're learning. A and P is a lot of memorization (systems, etc) but also application. When you study, quiz yourself on what the material is saying. AAlso don't try to over-study. When you do that you end up losing more than you think. Let us know how you do